Safety In Him
by SereneCalamity
Summary: Michael visits Alex in the early hours of the morning. Malex. Oneshot.


**Okay. I was apprehensive as hell when I heard a reboot was coming, and when I saw the trailer. But shit. I'm completely in love. And having Caleb from PLL in there? Shiiiit. Anyway, I hope you enjoy :) This is based on Michael having the same upbringing as he did in the OG series.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters.**

Alex Manes knew who it was as he blinked and woke up slowly to tapping on the window beside his bed.

 _Of course_ he knew who it was.

Who else would be waking him up at three in the morning on a Wednesday?

He had joked about not bothering to lock his window at night so that his visitor could just come in without having to wake him up, but he never would.

Alex liked being woken up by Michael Guerin.

At least, most of the time.

Alex was rolling to the side of his bed and reaching out for the window when he saw Michael's face and he knew that this was one of those times that Michael wasn't just showing up because he felt like seeing his lover.

Michael's hair was damp and the curls were sticking to the side of his face, and as Alex looked past him, he saw that it was raining, not too hard, but enough that it had soaked through Michael's clothes.

But that wasn't what made Alex's stomach turn over.

It was the split on Michael's lower lip and the graze on his cheek.

Alex shoved open his window and wiggled back on his bed to let Michael in, which he did _extremely_ ungracefully, as Michael usually was, and Alex was glad that his father wasn't home, away on business because Michael wasn't quiet as he fell inside.

"Shit, Michael," Alex winced as he saw the dried blood around the cut on Michael's lip. "Are you okay?"

"Just fucking peachy," Michael muttered as he pushed his wet curls back from where they were falling in front of his eyes.

Alex didn't push it, because Michael really wasn't good at talking when things were wrong.

Neither was Alex.

They found it hard to talk, and they didn't do a lot of it, but they did enough.

Enough to be tethered together tightly.

"I'll be back in a minute," Alex said, getting up from his bed and leaving the room in his briefs, rubbing his hand over his eyes to finish waking himself up.

He was quiet as he went through the cupboards in the bathroom, even though there was no one else in the house, and when he went back to his bedroom, he had some antiseptic spray and cotton wool.

When Alex came back in, Michael had stripped out of his wet clothes and let them crumble in a pile on the floor, the complete opposite of Alex and his neat and tidy way of putting dirty clothes in the basket in the corner.

"Turn on the light," Alex told him quietly and Micheal leaned over to turn on the lamp on the bedside table, and Alex tried to hide his cringe.

Not only did Michael have a graze on his cheek, but there was undoubtedly going to be a bruise under his eye as well, which was red and raised.

Alex gritted his teeth together as he sprayed the cotton wool with the antiseptic and then lifted it to press against Michael's lower lip.

Michael let out a hiss but he didn't pull away.

Alex was quiet as he cleaned the cut, wiping away the dry blood.

They had done this a lot.

Alex knew that Michael used to go to Max and Isabel Evans place when his foster father came home drunk and got abusive, but he was glad that he came here now.

And a lot of the time he did come over, it wasn't _because_ of that, which were the times that he really enjoyed.

There were a lot of times when they would roll around underneath the covers, mouths pressed together as they panted against one another, hands gripping and scratching and hips rolling together, gasping out curses as they came.

Alex still liked these times together, though.

Well, _liked_ would be the wrong word, but he _appreciated_ the fact that Michael trusted him enough to come here when he was hurt and vulnerable.

"You need to get away from him," Alex couldn't help but say.

Michael snorted and rolled his eyes.

"I just need to get through the next three months, and then I'm gone," he said, which Alex already _knew_.

Michael had been working his ass off at a burger bar in town pretty much every part of the day that he wasn't at school, saving his money so that when he turned eighteen, he could skip out from staying at his foster fathers and get his own place.

Alex was pretty sure Michael could do it, although he was glad that he had Max and Isabel to support him.

And Alex was there too, even if their whole relationship was on the down low.

"Sorry that I woke you," Michael said quietly once Alex had finished wiping his lip, although the stinging was still definitely there.

"You _know_ I don't care if you wake me up," Alex rolled his eyes.

Michael shrugged.

"Well, I know you don't care if I'm waking you up to blow you," Michael smirked. "But it's a little bit different when I'm waking you up because I just need somewhere to sleep."

Alex's eyebrows pulled together.

"I don't _care_ ," he repeated. "Or—well, I do care. I care that you come here, somewhere safe, when _fucking Hank_ is drunk and being an asshole. When he _hurts_ you," his voice was venomous, but strangely, Michael gave him a soft smile. "What?" Alex asked.

"You're cute when you sound all protective," Michael grinned and Alex rolled his eyes.

Then Michael shivered, and Alex remembered that he was sitting there in just his boxers and his hair was still damp and he was probably cold from being caught out in the rain.

"Let's sleep," Alex suggested.

"You trying to get me in bed, private?" Michael smirked again and Alex rolled his eyes once more, wanting to be annoyed at the nickname Michael used since they both knew that Alex would be following in his fathers footsteps once he graduated high school.

It was something that they didn't talk about, other than Michael's nickname, because they both knew what it would mean for their relationship.

"And if I am?" Alex wiggled his eyebrows in an unusual bout of playfulness that Michael loved.

"You know I'm _always_ down for that," Michael grinned and he leaned forward, pressing his lips against Alex's.

Alex's lips were warm compared to his, and he tasted...Sleepy, whereas Michael's lips were cold and they tasted...Sterile.

"Shit," Michael let out another hiss as Alex put too much pressure on the side of his lip with the split and Alex quickly pulled back. "We'll pick this up in the morning, right?" Michael said hopefully and Alex pursed his lips together.

" _If_ your lip is feeling better," he reasoned and Michael let out a huff—like a child being told they weren't allowed any more sweets.

Michael got under the covers first and Alex ignored that twinge he _always_ got when he saw Michael in his bed, with his head against the blue and green pillow cases.

Alex got in next to Michael, their arms pressing together before Alex turned off the lamp and they were both plunged into darkness.

They were still for a moment before Alex nudged Michael's arm gently, and Michael rolled over so that he was on his side, and Alex rolled with him, one hand resting on Michael's hip and his knees came up to press to the backs of Michael's thighs.

Michael fell asleep first, safe in Alex's embrace.

Alex fell asleep next, his lips pressed to the nape of Michael's neck.

 **Let me know what you think x**


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